WO2002018146A1

WO2002018146A1 - Printer

Info

Publication number: WO2002018146A1
Application number: PCT/JP2001/007429
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hitoshi Fujiwara
Original assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisya; F & F Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-08-29
Filing date: 2001-08-29
Publication date: 2002-03-07
Also published as: EP1314568A4; EP1314568B1; DE60144152D1; JP2002067431A; AU2001282539A1; EP1314568A1; ATE500066T1; JP4542249B2; US7036925B2; US20030184643A1

Abstract

An easy-to-observe and easy-to-operate printer (10) capable of eliminating an installation space on a desk or a floor, wherein a hook (30) is provided on a housing (20) and locked to a display panel (53) to attach the printer (10) to the display panel (53), whereby the printer (10) can be installed by using a space at the rear of the display panel (53), and a sheet (5) printed in the same direction as the surface of a display (52) can be delivered.

Description

Printer Technical Field

The present invention relates to a compact printer, and more particularly to a combination of a printer and a display panel. Background art

There are various types of printers on the market, all of which are installed on the floor or on a table. In addition, compact printers with a thickness of several cm to 1 cm or less are being developed, and are expected to be used as portable printers or desktop memo printers. These printers are used by connecting to the host computer. For this reason, if the host is a desktop or notebook type, a small printer can be stored in the device pay and integrated, or the printer can be made portable and docked to a PDA or mobile phone for use. It has a space-saving configuration to avoid the hassle of placing and holding the printer separately from the host.

However, if it is a type that can be stored in the device pay, it must be manufactured in a size that conforms to the standards of the device bay, and furthermore, the interface must be connected inside the device pay. Therefore, it must be designed and manufactured as a device-based printer, and has little versatility for other uses. Also, in order to store it in the device pay, it is necessary to open the bay, and it may not be possible to use it with other peripheral devices such as a CD-ROM drive. In addition, the type that docks with a PDA or the like must also be designed to be dockable with the host-side device to be docked, which reduces versatility. Also, if the design of the equipment on the host side is changed, it is highly likely that it will be necessary to change both, which is economically disadvantageous.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that is compact, can be used integrally with various types of computers, and does not need to be individually supported in a small space. Furthermore, the purpose is to provide a printer that is highly versatile and can be used integrally with various manufacturers or types of equipment. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a printer that can be installed behind a display panel, comprising: a main body, and a fixture provided on the main body, wherein the fixture is detachable from the display panel. It offers printers located in

Such a printer can be installed using the open space on the back of the display panel, so it is space-saving, does not need to be individually supported, and has the same feeling as being integrated with the host. Can be used with Furthermore, it is not necessary to conform to the specifications of DevicePay, and it can be mounted and used even if it does not completely conform to the shape of the host computer. Therefore, the size and shape of the printer body are not limited, it is possible to adopt a versatile design, and use printers of various designs that are not restricted by the standard, etc., together with the host. be able to.

Furthermore, there is no competition in arranging other peripheral devices stored in the host, and the system can be configured more flexibly. Ma In addition, the printer of the present invention can use the external interface of the host computer for the interface, so that the connection is easy, there is no trouble or stress in attaching / detaching, and the printer can be attached to the host whenever necessary. Can be used.

In the above-described printer, a paper feeding mechanism is provided in the above-described main body, and when the main body is disposed behind the display panel via the above-described mounting fixture, the paper feeding mechanism causes the printed paper to be the main body. It is preferable that the sheet is discharged upward in a state where the sheet is located on the surface of the display panel of the printer. With such a configuration, when the printer is arranged behind the display panel, the user can check the output result without moving his / her gaze, thus providing a printer that is easy to see and use. Therefore, a convenient and easy-to-use printer can be provided as a user interface.

Further, it is preferable that the above-mentioned paper feeding mechanism is configured to discharge the printed image or character in an upright state. With this configuration, the content printed on the output paper can be read immediately.

Further, it is preferable that a stocker for accumulating sheets discharged from the above-described paper feeding mechanism is provided above the paper feeding mechanism in the main body. With this configuration, the sheet discharged upward is held at that position.

Further, in the printer including the above-mentioned stocker, it is preferable that the above-mentioned main body has a power sheet storing section for accumulating the power sheet. Alternatively, it is preferable that the above-mentioned main body has a roll paper storage section for accumulating roll paper, and the above-mentioned paper feed mechanism employs a force cutter for cutting the roll paper. The former configuration functions as a cut sheet type printer, and the latter configuration functions as a roll paper type printer. Functioning, the roll paper can be pressed into the appropriate size paper and discharged. Further, it is preferable that the above-mentioned attachment is constituted by a hook. The attachment may be a suction cup or the like, but a hook is desirable as a jig that can be easily and safely attached stably.

Here, the hook is preferably provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the above-mentioned main body, and can also function as a stand that allows the main body to become independent. According to this configuration, not only can the range of selection of the printer installation location be widened, but also the printer can be installed independently, so that the occupied area can be reduced.

Further, the above-mentioned hook is provided so as to be able to engage with a groove or a protrusion formed at a predetermined distance in the thickness direction of the display panel from the back surface of the display panel on the edge surface of the above-mentioned display panel. Is preferred. The engagement of the hooks with the grooves or projections allows the printer main body to be securely mounted on the display panel.

The present invention further provides a display panel including a display, a housing having a peripheral portion covering an edge of the display, and a rear surface integrally covering the rear surface of the display with the peripheral portion. A groove or projection is formed at a predetermined distance in the thickness direction of the display body from the back surface of the part, and a hook provided on a peripheral device is engaged with the groove or projection to make the peripheral device detachable. Offers a play panel. Even for display panels of various thicknesses, the standard where the grooves or protrusions are formed is set to a predetermined distance in the thickness direction of the display body from the periphery of the display panel and the back of the display panel. By doing so, it is possible to lock the hooks with little change in the design of the display panel of each company, and peripheral devices can be attached to various display panels. Peripheral devices include small printers, floppy disk drives, and CD-ROM drives. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the printer of FIG. 1 is mounted on a display panel of a notebook personal computer.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the printer of FIG. 1 mounted on a display panel, viewed from the direction of arrow IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the printer shown in FIG. 1 is self-standing on a desk.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state where the printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a display panel having a form different from that of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state where the printer according to the present invention is mounted on a display panel having a form different from the display panel shown in FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state where the printer according to the third embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a display panel.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state where the printer according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the display panel shown in FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A printer 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This printer 10 has a box-shaped housing 20 of about A6 or A7 size and a thickness of about 1 cm or less, and the upper part 21 in the housing 20 accommodates the cut sheet 5. Do Paper storage section 1 1 The front side 18 of the upper part 21 of the housing 20 is slightly receded to form a stocker 12 that can temporarily hold the printed paper 5. The lower portion 22 of the housing 20 is formed thick, and houses a printing mechanism 17 including a print head 13, a platen roller 14, a pickup roller 15, a paper discharge roller 16, and the like. A pickup roller 15 is disposed between the paper storage unit 11 and the printing mechanism 17, and a discharge roller 16 is disposed between the printing mechanism 17 and the stocker 12. Further, a discharge roller 23 is formed in a portion of the lower portion 22 facing the stocker 12 (the lower portion of the stocker 12). The printing mechanism 17 ローラ The discharge roller 16 is designed so that the printing surface 5 a (FIG. 3) of the paper 5 discharged from the discharge roller 23 to the stocker 12 is on the visible side, that is, the front side. It is composed of The housing 20 and the paper storage unit 11 and the printing mechanism 17 provided in the housing constitute a printer main body.

Therefore, the cut sheet 5 stored in the paper storage unit 11 in the upper part 21 is picked up by the pickup roller 15 and fed in the direction of the print head 13 to the platen roller 14 and printed. Printed between the printheads 13 and 13. Then, the printed paper is discharged from the discharge roller 23 to the stocker 12 by the discharge roller 16 and accumulated.

Hooks 30 as attachments are attached below both sides 25 of the housing 20. The hook 30 has an arm 31 rotatably attached to a side surface 25 of the housing 20 at a base end thereof, and a claw 32 provided on a free end side of the arm 31. Reference numeral 32 denotes a shape bent downward when the arm 31 rotates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the housing 20 in FIG. Therefore, the entire printer 10 is supported by the display 52 by hooking the claws 32 on a portion 55 (FIG. 3) of the display 52, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 3, the notebook personal computer 50 as a host has a PC main body 50 A and a display section 50 B, and the PC main body 5 OA has other peripheral devices. For example, device bays 58 and 58 for storing a floppy disk drive and a CD-ROM disk drive are provided. The display unit 50B is provided so as to be rotatable and self-supporting with respect to the PC main unit 50A, and includes a display 52 as a display body and a display panel 53 incorporating the display 52. The display panel 53 has an upper edge frame 54a and a side frame 54b, and a groove 55 extending in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3) is provided substantially at the center of the upper edge frame 54a. Is formed.

Accordingly, by inserting the claw portion 32 of the hook 30 into the groove 55, the opposite side of the display panel 53 from the surface of the display 52, that is, the back surface 59 of the display panel 53 (FIG. 4) The printer 10 can be mounted on the side of). Then, the printer 10 and the PC main unit 5OA are connected with a USB cable 29 or the like so that data from the host computer 50 can be received. It can be used as.

Also, since the hook 30 is attached to the lower part 22 of the housing 20, when the printer main body 20 is attached to the display panel 53 via the hook 30, the stocker 12 is attached to the display panel 53. The state in which the paper 5 is ejected upward and the printed paper 5 is output from the paper discharge roller 23 appears above the display 52 and can be seen by the user of the computer 50. Further, as described above, the printing mechanism 17 and the paper discharge roller 16 are arranged so that the printing surface 5a (FIG. 3) of the paper 5 discharged from the paper discharge roller 23 to the stocker 12 is on the front surface side. Therefore, the printing surface 5 a of the paper is discharged so as to face the same side as the display 52. In addition, The printer driver installed in the computer 50 edits the image on the paper 5 so that the image is printed from above the characters or figures, that is, the printed image is in an upright state. Therefore, when the printer 10 is mounted above the display 52 and printing is performed, the user can immediately see the paper 5 being ejected while characters or graphics are being printed. Further, since the characters or figures are output in an upright state, the printed contents of the sheet 5 can be sequentially followed by the eyes to understand or confirm the contents.

As described above, the printer 10 can be installed and used behind the display panel 53 by the hook 30 and can be freely attached and detached. For this reason, the printer 10 can be installed by using the open space on the back surface 59 of the display panel 53 when used, thereby saving space. When the printer 10 is not used, it can be easily separated from the host computer 50 simply by removing the hook 30, so that it does not hinder the display panel 53 from being closed. In addition, since it can be stored or carried separately from the computer 50, it is possible to flexibly select a storage space, a portable space, and a carrying method, etc., according to the user's actual situation and usage situation. Can be used in various ways.

Further, since the printer 10 can be supported only by hooking the hooks 30, there is no need to support the printer 10 by separately installing a printer stand. During use, the host computer 50 and the printer 10 are integrated, so that they can be used as if they were peripheral devices stored in the device pay. On the other hand, since there is no need to store it in the device pay, there is no need to conform to that standard, and since it can be mounted and used without completely conforming to the shape of the host computer 50, etc., it is possible to design it. The degree of freedom is high, and it is possible to adopt a design that is versatile for the type of host computer and manufacturer.

Further, since the printer 10 can be supported by being hooked on the upper edge frame 54a, other peripheral devices stored in the device bay 58 of the host computer 50, such as a floppy disk drive and a CD-ROM disk drive, can be used. There is no competition in arranging live performances, etc., and they can be used by attaching them to the host 50. Therefore, a system centering on the host computer 50 can be configured more flexibly. Further, since the printer 10 is mounted on the outside of the computer 50, the interface can use the external interface of the host computer 50 as in the case of a conventional desktop type printer or the like. Therefore, the connection of the cable 29 is easy, and no trouble or stress is required for attachment and detachment, and the printer 10 can be attached to the host 50 as needed when necessary.

Further, in the printer 10, when mounted on the display panel 53, the stocker 12 is positioned above the display 52, and the printed paper 5 is output above the display 52 so that the user can see it. You. Therefore, the content printed on the paper 5 output from the display 52 can be immediately read without moving the line of sight from the display 52, and the printer 10 is used in a layout in which the user can easily check the output content. can do. For this reason, the user interface for outputting data is a printer 10 having a high utility value.

In addition, the hook 30 of the printer 10 is configured so that the arm 31 can be turned. As shown in FIG. 5, when the arm 31 is turned from the front 18 to the rear 19, the desk 30 is turned. As shown above, the printer 10 can be made to stand on its own like a book stand or a photo stand. Therefore, printer 1 0 can be used on a table without being hooked on the display panel. At this time, the printing mechanism 17 and the stocker 12 are arranged so that the printing mechanism 17 is at the bottom and the paper is discharged to the upper stocker 12 as if it were hooked on the back of the display panel 53. Furthermore, a layout in which the paper storage spaces 11 are arranged vertically can be provided. Therefore, the space occupied by the printer 10 becomes very small even when it is installed on the desk 9 or the like. Then, the paper is ejected upward, and the data is sent from the host so that the characters or images are printed in order from the top, so that the printed paper is output and the output contents are read and confirmed. Or you can.

It is difficult to unify the thickness of the display panel 53 between display panels or manufacturers, and it is troublesome to change the dimensions of the hooks 30 attached to the printer for each display panel. Even if the display panel is of the same type, if the standards are consistent so that the groove 55 is formed at a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the upper edge frame 54a and the rear surface 58, the display panel of each company The claw portion 32 can be locked in the groove 55 at a position away from the rear surface by a predetermined distance with almost no change in the design. If such a design is adopted as a standard for all display panels by each company, it becomes possible to provide a versatile printer 10 that can be mounted on those display panels.

FIG. 6 shows a printer 1OA according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the upper edge frame 54 a of the display panel 53 a is not provided with a groove or a protrusion, and the arm 31 a of the hook 3 OA takes into account the thickness of the display panel 53. The claw portion 32A has such a length that it can be locked to the front surface 53a of the display panel 53A.

FIG. 7 shows a printer 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 and FIG. 6 show a state in which the display panel is supported by a display panel 53B having a shape different from that of the display panels 53 and 53A. In this display panel 53B, instead of forming a groove in the upper edge frame 54aB, a step 57 is provided so that the claw portion 32 is engaged with the step 57.

FIG. 8 shows a printer 10B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the paper storage unit 11B capable of storing the cut sheet extends on the opposite side of the stocker 12B with respect to the printing mechanism 17B. Panel 5 3 B is in contact with back 5 ′ 9.

FIG. 9 shows a printer 1'0C according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which members corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals with C added, and description thereof is omitted. . In the printer 10C, a housing portion 62 capable of storing the roll paper 61 is provided in the housing 20C. In this case, as the printing mechanism 17 C, it is desirable to discharge the force cutter 65 near the paper discharge roller 23 C so that the paper cut to a predetermined size is discharged. Further, it is preferable to provide a curl removing mechanism (not shown) so that the roll paper is output after being flattened.

The printer / display panel according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, a mechanism that allows adjustment of the length of the arm of the hook that is the attachment may be added.

In addition, not only the display panel of the notebook computer but also a peripheral device such as a printer can be mounted on a liquid crystal display panel for a desktop computer using a hook, which is included in the scope of the present invention.

Further, the printing mechanism is not limited to the thermal type using the thermal heads 13 and 13C, but may be another type such as an ink jet. However, A heat-sensitive printing mechanism that does not require ink or other consumables and requires no space to store them is suitable for designing compact, thin printers to be mounted on the back of the display panel. As a mechanism for printing on thermal paper, a mechanism using a platen roller may be used, or a mechanism using a non-roller type platen may be employed.

Further, the size of the printer of the present invention is not limited to A6 (105 x 148 mm), A7 (74 x 105 mm), etc. It may be a printer. However, a compact printer that can print on small-sized paper such as A6, A7, or A8 is easy to attach and detach, and is suitable for carrying with a notebook personal computer. It is suitable as the printer of the invention.

Further, the printer 10 can be attached to the back surface of the display panel with another member such as a suction cup instead of the hook as an attachment. However, compared to methods such as suction cups, where the suction force depends on the shape and material of the back surface of the display panel, the method of this example in which the hook is mechanically hooked to the edge of the display panel is simple and safe. It can be stably mounted on a vehicle. In addition, it is easy to attach and detach and has high versatility. In particular, by providing irregularities for engaging with hooks at predetermined positions on the display panel side as described above, versatility is also high.

Further, the present invention is not limited to a printer, and can be attached to a display panel by attaching the above-mentioned hook to other peripheral devices. For example, devices that are normally stored in a device disk such as a floppy disk drive or CD-ROM drive can be attached to a display panel with a hook, similar to a printer. For this purpose, a hook may be provided on the housing of the drive device as in the case of the printer. Also, prepare a basket or belt with hooks attached to it and put the peripheral It can be attached to a display panel by inserting a hook or an adapter with a hook so that the hook is attached to the housing of the peripheral device. In this way, various peripheral devices can be mounted on the display panel. In this case, various peripheral devices can be installed integrally with the computer using the empty space on the back of the display panel without competing with the peripheral devices attached to the device pay. Also, even in a notebook personal computer without a device bay, the peripheral devices can be installed together with the computer using the empty space on the back of the display panel, without having to arrange the peripheral devices like an octopus. it can. Industrial applicability

As a space-saving OA device including a display, printer, and various drive devices, it can be widely used in homes and businesses.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A printer that can be installed behind a display panel, comprising: a main body, and a fixture provided on the main body, wherein the fixture is detachable from the display panel.

2. In claim 1, the paper feed mechanism is provided in the main body, and when the main body is disposed behind the display panel via the mounting fixture, the paper feed mechanism is used to print printed paper. A printer which discharges paper upward in a state where the main body is located on the surface of a display panel.

3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the paper feed mechanism discharges the printed image or character in an upright state.

4. The printer according to claim 2, wherein a stocker for accumulating sheets discharged from the paper feed mechanism is provided in the main body above the paper feed mechanism.

5. The printer according to claim 4, wherein the main body has a cut sheet storage section for storing cut sheets.

6. In Claim 4, the main body has a roll paper storage section for accumulating roll paper, and the paper feed mechanism employs a force cutter for cutting the roll paper. A printer.

7. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment is constituted by a hook.

8. 8. The printer according to claim 7, wherein the hook is provided rotatably with respect to the main body, and also functions as a stand that allows the main body to be self-supporting.

9. The hook according to claim 7, wherein the hook is an edge surface of the display panel, and a thickness direction of the display panel from a back surface of the display panel. The printer is provided so as to be engageable with a groove or projection formed at a predetermined distance in the direction.

10. A display panel having a display body, and a housing having a peripheral portion covering an edge portion of the display member and a back surface portion integral with the peripheral portion and covering a back surface of the display body,

A groove or a protrusion is formed at a predetermined distance in the thickness direction of the display body from the back surface of the back surface portion at the peripheral portion, and a hook provided on a peripheral device is engaged with the groove or the protrusion. The peripherals can be detached

Flannel.